


'A Christmas Carol' With A Twist (2004)

by JennyB



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Adaptation, Denial of Feelings, First Kiss, Light Angst, M/M, References to Dickens, Secret Crush, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-11-30
Updated: 2004-11-30
Packaged: 2018-01-07 08:32:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1117756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JennyB/pseuds/JennyB
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Christmas Eve, and Seto Kaiba hates Christmas. Can a visit from three spirits help him see the error of his ways?..</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

To say that Seto Kaiba was a cold person was an understatement. When he would walk down the street, people would scramble out of his way. Prominent business executives would cower before him. There was always an air of apprehension whenever anyone had to speak with him for fear of him lashing out angrily in reply. Seto Kaiba alienated virtually everyone he had contact with, and he seemed to prefer it that way.

He had inherited his company from his stepfather six years previous, and in that time, he had established himself as one of the most powerful CEOs in history. He had a knack for business and he knew how to ‘play politics’; he often donated money to charities and other causes in the interest of promoting his corporation. To say that he did such things out of the goodness of his heart was laughable. Some believed Kaiba didn’t have a heart; everything he did was strictly motivated by his ambition and his desire to turn more profits.

As he sat behind the large mahogany desk in his office, he glanced over at the calendar. He frowned; a very large happy face had been drawn over today’s date by his little brother. It was Christmas Eve, and the youngest Kaiba was looking forward to the holiday with great expectation. Kaiba hated almost everything about Christmas. He loved the spike in sales the holiday produced; it almost made up for the lacklustre performance the company experienced every January, but everything else he despised. He hated the crowds and the screaming children that congested the malls and gave him a headache every time he went inside. He hated Christmas decorations, finding them tacky, tasteless and a considerable waste of money. He hated the incessant Christmas carols that blared at him from the first of December. But most of all, he hated the way people suddenly became interested in their fellow man; as if a few weeks of feigned interest could change anything. He found the whole season to be opulent, decadent, over-indulgent and generally irritating. 

The sound of laughter brought him back to reality, and he looked out into the main office. About twenty people were gathered around, drinking eggnog from paper cups and munching on store-bought sugar cookies. He narrowed his eyes and scanned the crowd, frowning as he spied Jounouchi sitting in the middle of the group, a red Santa Claus hat on his head, a sprig of mistletoe in hand, and giving innocent kisses to those who wanted them; male and female alike. With a snort of disgust, he stood up from his desk and stormed into the room. 

“Jounouchi, what do you think you’re doing?” he demanded icily. At the sound of his voice the rest of the group scurried back to their desks like frightened mice, leaving the blond to fend for himself.

The blond grinned widely and said, “Spreading some Christmas cheer. What do you say, Kaiba? Care for a kiss from your favourite personal assistant?” He held the mistletoe over his head and winked at the brunet as he puckered up.

“Not likely. You’re lucky I don’t fire you for wasting company time with this idiotic display. You were hired to work, not sit around like a half-wit socializing with a bunch of do-nothing slackers. Get back to work before I really get annoyed.” His eyes flicked up to Jou’s head and with a frown he added, “And take that ridiculous thing off your head. I’m trying to run a professional organization here, not Romper Room.”

As Kaiba went back into his office, Jou slid the hat off his head and stuffed it in his desk drawer. As he sank glumly back into his chair and resumed typing, he muttered sadly under his breath, “Merry Christmas, Kaiba.”

* * *

Just before four o’clock, a bundle of energy wrapped in a red parka bounded into the office. Mokuba Kaiba pulled off his hood and shook his long raven tresses out of his sparkling blue-grey eyes, then greeted the office with a cheery ‘Merry Christmas’. As he walked from desk to desk, he handed each person a peppermint candy cane and a small box of chocolates. When he finally got to Jou’s desk, he said, “Merry Christmas, Jou! Is Seto still here?”

Jou nodded, “He’s in his office kid, but he said he wasn’t to be disturbed. He said he’s very busy.”

“Too busy for his own brother?” Mokuba asked incredulously. “I don’t believe it!” Before Jou could stop him, he walked over to the CEO’s door and flung it open unannounced. “Merry Christmas, Seto!” he called as he strode into the office and flopped himself down on the large black leather sofa.

Kaiba looked up from his work. “I thought I told that brainless twit I didn’t want to be disturbed.” He caught sight of Jou standing panic-stricken in the doorway, his eyes wide, and a hurt expression on his face. “Well, don’t just stand there with your mouth hanging open and looking like the catch of the day. Go retrieve that fiscal report from accounting.” He narrowed his eyes and said, “That _is_ what you do, isn’t it, Mutt? _Retrieve_ things?” He smirked coldly as Jou hung his head and slunk away for the accounting department, then he turned to Mokuba. “To what do I owe the pleasure of the unannounced interruption?” he demanded.

“Big brother, I just had the best day ever!” he said excitedly. “I went sledding with Yugi and Anzu and Ryou, then we had a snowball fight. After, we went for hot chocolate and cookies, and Yugi invited us to his house tomorrow for a huge Christmas dinner! I thought it would be fun, so I went to the mall and bought a bunch of Christmas presents for us to take, and I decorated the tree in the main foyer of the house, too!”

“First of all, I won’t be going to Yugi’s. I can’t stand that little runt and his band of simpering losers. If you want to go, that’s fine with me; that means I can come in and finish up this project.”

“But tomorrow is Christmas! You said we’d spend it together!”

“I said we’d eat together. I have a lot of work to do, and I can’t afford to take the time off. I’m sorry, but to me Christmas is just another day, and that means there is work to be done. And as for the tree, get rid of it. All it’s going to do is make a mess.”

“But, it’s an artificial tree!”

“I don’t care. Get rid of it. When I get home tonight, it had better not be there.” Mokuba opened his mouth to protest, but a single glare from Kaiba silenced him. He saw his brother’s lower lip quivering, and he said coldly, “One day, little brother, you will understand. Right now, enjoy the freedom of your youth. When you have to start working, you’ll see that there’s no time for friends or fun. You get out of life what you put into it. Look around; I’ve built this corporation up from the pathetic company Gozaburo started, and now we are the number one traded stock in the world. I’d have to say that overall, I’ve done exceptionally well, don’t you think?”

Mokuba shook his head sadly as his tear-filled eyes looked up at his brother. “I’d give up all of this to have back the brother I knew at the orphanage. I’ll see you at home, Seto. Merry Christmas.” He walked slowly from the room, and as he pulled the heavy oak door closed behind him, he heard Kaiba call out, “Don’t wait up.”

Jou was just returning from the accounting department, report in hand, when he saw Mokuba walking towards the elevator, head down – markedly different from his appearance when he had entered the building. “Hey, kiddo, what’s up?” he called cheerfully, already knowing in his mind what had happened.

“Hey Jou, it’s nothing,” he said flatly.

Casting a quick glance towards Kaiba’s office and seeing the door closed, Jou knelt down and said, “Hey kid, remember this: Friends are the family you choose.”

Mokuba looked up at him through a tear-filled smile and said, “You sound like Anzu.”

Jou blinked in surprise, then grinned. “Yeah, I suppose she must be rubbing off on me,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “Don’t let it get you down too much. I know Yugi’s looking forward to seeing you tomorrow, and so am I.” His brow wrinkled in thought as he asked, “You are coming to Yugi’s tomorrow, right?”

Mokuba nodded. “But Seto’s not,” he added.

Jou shook his head, “I can’t say I’m surprised, but hey, we’ll still have an awesome Christmas. Shizuka will be there, too. And just between you and me…“ He looked around slyly, then in a furtive whisper said, “…From what I hear, Yugi’s got some pretty sweet gifts under his tree, if you know what I mean.” He winked at the younger boy and pulled him into a hug. “I’d better go give this to your bro, or else I’m gonna find myself out of a job. Take care, kiddo.” He stood up and waited with Mokuba for the elevator. As the doors slid closed, he waved good-bye, then with a sigh, headed for Kaiba’s office.

He knocked softly on the door, and heard an irritated, “What?” from the other side. Opening the door wide enough to poke his head in, he said, “I’ve got that report you wanted.” He held the file up in his hand, showing the red cover.

“What are you going to do? Leave it there at the door? Be a good dog and bring it over to your master,” Kaiba sneered.

Jou rolled his eyes and walked the report over to Kaiba’s desk. Setting it down on the corner of the highly polished wood, he took a step back and said cheerfully, “Well, it’s 4:30, so unless there’s anything else you need, I’ll be on my way.”

Seto looked at his watch. “So it is. But you’ve obviously forgotten the first rule of being my personal assistant. If I work late, _you_ work late.” A nasty smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I hope you won’t be missing out on anything _special_.”

“Man, Kaiba!” Jou protested. “It’s Christmas Eve. Every other fucking company in the free world is closing early today; every other company is celebrating the holiday. What is your deal with Christmas?”

Kaiba scowled. “First of all, when you are working in _my_ company, you will address me as either ‘Mr. Kaiba’ or ‘Sir’. Just because I have the misfortune of knowing you outside of work does not give you any special considerations. Second, the reason my company is number one is because I don’t give in to the commercialism of another Hallmark holiday. I’m number one because I don’t take time to slack and be idle. Finally, my ‘deal’ with Christmas is this – if it’s so fantastic, why do people only preach about the ideals of peace, love and goodwill for the month of December? Why aren’t people generous all year round? Why aren’t they nice all year round? It’s because Christmas is a scam – it’s a corporate brainwash, and you, not surprisingly, are just another sheep feeding your money mindlessly into the retail coffers. We are who we are. Why the hell should we pretend to be all caring and merciful during the holidays? What a waste of time. Now, make yourself useful and go pick me up something for dinner.”

Jou glared at him and said defiantly, “What would you like, _Sir_?”

Kaiba looked up at him and said coldly, “Watch your tone with me, Mutt. I’d fire you right here, right now, except there’s no way I’d get a replacement for you until the New Year. Try it again.”

Still glaring, Jou said in his sweetest voice, “What, pray tell, may I bring you to dine upon this evening, Mr. Kaiba, Sir?” He bowed low, his arms spread widely out to the side in an over-exaggerated gesture.

Kaiba snorted, “I don’t give a damn. Just get the hell out of my sight, and close the door behind you!”

“Yes, Sir!” Jounouchi said, snapping a crisp salute as he turned on his heel and slammed the door behind him.


	2. Chapter Two

‘ _That mongrel is gone effective January 1,_ ’ he thought to himself as he resumed working on his year-end reports. He felt a cold chill blow through the room, as though a window had been left open. He looked up, slightly puzzled. As he resumed his work, he swore he heard someone whisper his name in his ear. Frowning slightly and rubbing his eyes, he decided he needed a stretch break and stood up, pushing the leather desk chair back against the window. He walked around to the front of his desk, stretching his arms towards the ceiling as he yawned. When he sat back down, he thought he heard the sound of metal scraping along the floor. ‘ _What the hell is that idiot doing now?_ ’ he thought, and furiously flung open his office door. Startled, Jounouchi looked up at him questioningly, the phone book resting open on his desk. “What are you doing?” he asked suspiciously.

“I’m looking up a place to order some food from,” he said simply, turning back to the phone book.

“What were you moving?” The blond looked back up at him, his head cocked to the side, a confused expression on his face. “Don’t play stupid, Jounouchi. I heard something being moved around out here.”

Jou shrugged, “It wasn’t me. I’ll call maintenance and see if they’re working on anything.”

Kaiba nodded. “Do that,” he said curtly, returning to his office and shutting the door. “Moron!” he muttered under his breath.

He looked up as he started to walk back to his desk and was surprised to see the form of Gozaburo Kaiba sitting in his chair, wearing a black double-breasted suit. The outfit was slightly dated, but looked immaculate. Startled, Kaiba backed up to the door and scrabbled frantically for the knob. He tried to turn it, but found it locked. “Jounouchi!” he called, feeling a cold chill run down his spine when he heard his stepfather’s laughter.

“Seto, you silly boy, he can’t hear you. It’s just you and me, all alone. I really think it’s time we had a father-son chat.”

The brunet gave a snort of laughter. “That would be a first. You never were a parent – more of a dictator. Besides, you’re not really here,” Kaiba said, as if trying to convince himself his senses were deceiving him. “You’ve been dead for six years. I attended your funeral. I watched them put your sorry carcass in the ground personally.”

“Now, now, Seto, such blatant ingratitude, and after all I did for you as a child. Aren’t you glad to see me?”

“Hardly,” Kaiba snorted contemptuously. “The only thing you did for me was rob me of my childhood. You were a cold-hearted bastard, and I hated you every second of every day.”

Gozaburo smiled, his face gaunt, his eyes slightly sunken. “My dear boy, you say those words with such conviction, yet here you stand, almost the mirror image of me…Strong, stubborn, ambitious. I can see it in you, Seto. You are quite the astute businessman.”

“What the hell would you know?” Kaiba spat. “You couldn’t run a business to save your life…” He narrowed his eyes, “…Literally. I mean, really, to lose your corporation to a child?”

Gozaburo’s face darkened and he smirked. “Yes, yes, we all know that you are a child prodigy. But you see, my boy, that’s why I’m here. I’ve come to save you from your own reckless ambition.”

“Whatever,” Kaiba said dismissively with a wave of his hand. “If you don’t mind, I have a business to run, and you’re nothing a couple of pills won’t take care of. See you later, old man.” He walked over to his desk, and when he tried to push the chair out of his way, he found it strangely heavy. Quirking his eyebrow, he looked at the figure of Gozaburo, who was sitting smugly in the chair watching him with some amusement. Tentatively, Kaiba reached out his hand to poke the figure, expecting his finger would go right through the form and touch the leather of the chair. Instead, it felt as if he was pushing through partially set gelatine, and it was ice-cold. He recoiled and shuddered involuntarily.

The older man chuckled, “Still think I’m just a figment of your imagination, boy? There’s not much time left, and I have many things to tell you.”

“There has to be some logical explanation for this,” Kaiba replied, ignoring him. Somewhat confused, he wondered, “Now how is this possible?”

Gozaburo growled in anger and lashed out at the brunet. Seizing him firmly around the throat, he picked him up off the ground a good six inches and spat, “Not everything in this world can be explained by science or technology, boy! If you don’t change your thinking, you will be condemned to the same fate as me – left to roam the Earth, an empty shell, watching the world of the living pass you by, knowing you can never enter the world of the dead. I am between worlds: forgotten by this world, ignored by the other. It’s a lonely existence, if you can even call it that!”

“I’ve read Dickens’ works,” Kaiba gasped, trying to free himself from the vice-like grip his stepfather had on his throat. “It’s a story – a fairy tale. Ghosts do not exist.”

Gozaburo slammed him against the wall, his grip still holding fast. “You know nothing!” he hissed, shattering the glass credenza with his other fist. “Dickens wrote ‘ _A Christmas Carol_ ’, but the story was told to him by a fellow boarder during his travels in the early 1840’s. Take a good look, Seto; take a close look at the chains that bind me.” Kaiba stared wide-eyed as thick iron chains seemed to appear out of thin air, winding themselves around the heavy frame of Gozaburo Kaiba, over his shoulders, and trailing out in a seemingly endless stream behind him. Steel manacles snaked their way around his wrists and ankles, heavy locks holding them in place. “This is the reward I earned for my years of devotion to my company. I should have worked on my relationship with my wife; she might still be alive today. I should have worked on getting to know my stepsons. I should have paid attention to the truly important things in life, the so-called ‘little things’: a walk in the park on a sunny afternoon, the feel of leaves crunching underfoot.” He eyed the brunet coldly, “Time together with friends and family.” He smirked as he saw a flash of comprehension cross Seto’s blue eyes. “But no, instead, I’m condemned to drag these chains around with me, stuck in this pathetic routine. Every time I wronged someone, another link was forged. I don’t know how long I’ll be forced to wander, possibly forever, but now, I take some comfort in knowing that I can prevent you from suffering the same fate.” 

He set Kaiba back on the ground and slowly released his grip. “You’ve read the story, so I’ll assume you know how it works. You will be visited by three spirits; don’t let their appearance shock you. You can expect the first one tonight at 7:00. If you heed their advice, perhaps you can be spared this miserable fate. If you can’t, then I only hope that you are stronger than I am and can handle the weight of your misdeeds.” Gozaburo looked up at Kaiba and said, “You’ve grown up well, Seto; you’re just a little misguided. That is my fault, and I only hope I’m not too late to fix the situation. I never said it before, but I do love you, and I’m proud of you… son.” Before Kaiba could respond, he faded away, leaving a very surprised brunet standing alone and clutching his neck.

He threw open his office door, causing Jounouchi to jump in his seat. Looking accusingly at the blond, he demanded, “Why the hell didn’t you come when I called you?”

Jou looked at him, his brow furrowed in confusion. “What are you talking about? You’ve been in your office for maybe ten seconds. I haven’t even had time to look up the maintenance department yet! Shit, Kaiba…er, _Sir_ , if you expect me to become a mind-reader, you’d better do some serious R&D work!”

Kaiba looked back into his office, noticing the credenza was back to its original state. He glanced at his watch, confirming that the time was indeed as Jou had said. Frowning, he looked at the confused blond and said, “Never mind.” He walked back into his office and shut the door once again.

When he returned to his desk, he saw that the report he had been writing had been pushed aside, and in its place was a small, white envelope with his name written across the front in black calligraphy. He tore it open and pulled out a single sheet of heavy card stock. He read the small, neat script: ‘Remember what I said to you. –G’ He turned the card over, and finding nothing on the back, turned it back around where it promptly erupted into a violet flame. With a cry of surprise, he dropped the burning message on his desk and watched in amazement as the paper burned then extinguished itself, leaving no ash, no trace of its existence. When he looked on his desk for the envelope, he found that it, too, had mysteriously disappeared. 

Momentarily shaken, he sat in his chair staring at his desk. It had to have been a dream or a hallucination. His fingers trembling slightly, he pulled open the centre drawer of his desk and grabbed the small prescription bottle. Tapping two pills out into his palm, he swallowed the pink tablets and closed his eyes. ‘ _The stress is just getting to me,_ ’ he thought. ‘ _The pressure of these deadlines and the argument I had with Mokuba must have gotten me thinking about Gozaburo. And the Dickens story came up because I’d had that discussion with Jou about Christmas._ ’ He smirked. When he thought about it logically, it made sense. He’d simply imagined the whole thing, his mind playing tricks on him. Placated, he returned to his work.

At 6:30, there was a soft knock at his door. Glancing at his watch, he called out, “Sorry, Mr. Spirit, but you’re half an hour early and I just can’t squeeze you in any earlier.”

The door opened and Jounouchi poked his head inside. “What?” he asked stupidly.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. “What is it now, Mutt?”

Jounouchi entered the room and held up a large paper bag. “Dinner,” he said flatly, walking across the floor and depositing it unceremoniously on Kaiba’s desk. “There’s a plate and cutlery inside. Don’t ask me to feed you, because that’s not in my job description. If you need anything, you know where I’ll be.” As he turned to leave, he heard Kaiba call his name. He turned back and raised an eyebrow, “Yeah?”

“Have you eaten yet?”

“No. I wasn’t expecting to be here this late.”

“Then order yourself something. Send the bill to accounting.”

“Great, thanks,” Jou replied dryly, closing the door behind him.

When he had left, Kaiba felt his stomach rumble. He realized as he stood up that he had skipped lunch and breakfast now seemed like a distant memory. He pushed his work aside and tore open the bag. He pulled out a small Caesar salad, a roll, an order of lasagne and a large piece of tiramisu. He smiled to himself – Jounouchi may be a bumbling dolt at times, but he definitely knew how to choose a decent dinner. As he ate his meal, he went over a number of facts and figures in his head, making a mental note to include them in his report when he resumed working, occasionally jotting down a note on a pad of paper. He pushed the dessert to the side and threw the rest of the garbage in the can beside his desk. After cleaning up, he went to his private washroom to wash away any last traces of sauce from his hands. He was reaching for the light switch to go back to his office when he heard a loud crash and a soft voice moan, “Oh no!” He glanced down at his watch. It was seven o’clock on the dot.


	3. Chapter Three

Convinced the timing was nothing more than sheer coincidence, Kaiba stormed out of the washroom, intent on tearing a strip off of Jounouchi. Angrily, he shouted, “For the last time Jounouchi, stay the hell out of my office. Do you want me to say it in simple words that even an imbecile like you could understand? I…” His voice trailed off as he saw not Jounouchi, but what looked like Yami standing in front of his window, brushing fragments of glass from the broken credenza off of his royal blue velvet suit.

The spirit saw the brunet standing there, and he smiled at him. As he shook his head, sending a shower of glass to the floor, he said softly, “Sorry about that. By the time I saw it, I couldn’t stop myself.”

Kaiba looked at him coldly. “I’ll send you an invoice for its replacement. I don’t know what the hell the mutt was thinking letting you in here Yami, but I trust you’ll be leaving – now.”

“Yami. That’s a new one,” the spirit replied, grinning. “You can call me that if you wish, but I really prefer ‘The Ghost of Christmas Past’.”

Kaiba snorted, “Whatever. I’m calling security.” He walked over to the desk and picked up his phone, but dropped it immediately as the shrill sound of feedback filled his ears. “Damn it!” he cursed. He walked over to the door to the outer office and found it locked. “Alright Yami, what the hell are you doing here?”

“I’m here to help you,” the spike-haired one replied.

“Help me?” Kaiba laughed. “If you want to help, find me a replacement for that joke of a personal assistant I have out there; better yet, why don’t _you_ finish these reports for me.”

Yami sighed irritably, “If you want to quibble over semantics, then fine; I’m here to save your soul.”

A smirk crossed Kaiba’s lips. “Isis pulled the same trick on me back in Battle City – she told me some fairy tale about ancient Egypt and made it look exceptionally real.” He folded his arms defiantly across his chest and said scornfully, “The only difference is she could make up whatever garbage she wanted. I’m anxious to see what you can come up with for me. Ok, I’ll play your game, Yami. Take me on a journey to show me my past.”

Yami nodded and said gently, “Through that door we will embark on a brief journey of your past. I must warn you; sometimes the recollection of past events can be intense for some people; traumatic even. But, it is important that you see these events and reflect upon them if you are to be saved. Come.” He offered his elbow to the brunet.

Snorting contemptuously, Kaiba hooked his wrist through the crook of the spirit’s elbow and said, “This ought to be good.”

Yami looked up at him, his violet eyes twinkling, and said, “Oh, I promise you, it will be very, _very_ good.” He reached out for the doorknob and twisted it effortlessly. As the door swung open, they found themselves not in the outer office on the 35th floor at Kaiba Corp, but standing in a small, dimly lit foyer.

Kaiba’s eyes widened in recognition as Yami smiled and said, “I see you know this place.”

“Know it? I spent a few years here.” He looked around at the dingy floor and the peeling paint on the staircase in front of them. “This is the orphanage where Mokuba and I were dumped by our relatives after our parents died. Come on Yami, you can do better than this. I mean, you _know_ I’m adopted. If you’re trying to impress me, you’ve failed.”

Yami cast a sidelong glance up at the brunet, a smirk on his lips. “Perhaps. But I doubt your friend knew about this.” He led the two of them through a side door that opened up into a large room that served as both a dining hall and gathering area. In the far corner stood a small, scrawny fir tree that had been carefully decorated with paper-ring streamers, strings of popcorn, and ornaments made from Popsicle sticks and yarn; the top of the tree wore a cardboard star covered with aluminum foil and glitter. Underneath the tree were dozens of carefully wrapped packages, and stuck to the wall with thumbtacks was a neat row of tiny Christmas stockings.

A bell rang, and the room was instantly flooded with the sound of laughter and excited talking as children of various ages streamed into the room and sat in a small circle in front of the Christmas tree. A few moments later, a plump, elderly nun walked to the front of the room and silence descended. “Merry Christmas, children!” she exclaimed joyfully. “Now that Christmas prayers are finished, we can see what Santa Claus brought for you!”

“Oh my God! That’s Sister Angelina!” Kaiba exclaimed. “She was the one primarily responsible for taking care of us. Very nice lady; I hear she died a few years ago. I meant to get down for the funeral, but I was overseas foreclosing on a puppet corporation I had acquired a few years back. I sent some flowers to the orphanage and a note of condolence.”

Yami shook his head in disgust, “Yes, you’re a real saint. It’s nice to know that the needs of your company meant more to you than seeing the woman who had nurtured you in your youth. You know, she remembered you and Mokuba up until the day she died? Too bad you never made the time to go visit her. I know, I know; your schedule wouldn’t allow you to make the 20 minute drive.”

Kaiba felt his face flush pink in embarrassment, and he said nothing as he turned back to watch Sister Angelina doling out the presents from under the tree.

“Ah, young Mokuba, Santa brought this for you, dear.”

The raven-haired boy, barely out of diapers, scrambled up to collect his gift, giving a squeal of delight when he saw it was a small toy train.

Kaiba’s eyes lit up with happiness when he saw his little brother. “Mokuba loved that toy. I remember beating up a couple of bullies who had taken it from him one day. Bastards…” Yami merely nodded.

“Oh, and Seto, it looks like Santa Claus left you something very special…”

A small version of the brunet, maybe eight years old, excitedly scurried up to the front to collect the small, flat package the nun held out for him. The small boy tore off the paper, his eyes shining with happiness.

“It was a chess board,” Kaiba said. “Sister Angelina taught me how to play, and discovered that I had a natural gift for the game…”

Yami looked up at Kaiba and said, “You see? There was a time when Christmas meant something to you. Christmas didn’t get cold and commercial, Kaiba; you did. Come on.”

“Oh, come on,” Kaiba protested, almost whining. “Kin’s just about to get caught under the mistletoe by Sister Bethany!” He turned to see a small boy with shaggy blond hair standing in the doorway to the dormitories with his new dump truck.

“Time is short, we must go,” Yami said, pulling him by the sleeve towards the doorway to the foyer. As the two disappeared through the entranceway, they heard a panicked voice screech, “Sister Bethany! Ewww!” followed by the sound of laughter.

Kaiba smirked. “Damn, that was funny…I would have liked to have seen it again,” he mused. Looking up, he noticed they were no longer in the orphanage, but in the Great Hall of the Kaiba mansion. Quirking an eyebrow, he asked, “You brought me back to my home?”

“Actually, this is Gozaburo Kaiba’s home. This is the Christmas just before you took control of Kaiba Corp.”

Kaiba scowled. “I hated Gozaburo and I hated living here with him. He never did anything for Mokuba or me.”

The doors to the Great Hall flew open, and the two Kaiba brothers, a few years older, ran into the room and sat eagerly on the carpet in front of the Christmas tree. A few minutes later, Mrs. Kaiba walked in, elegantly dressed in a silk peignoir, and sat down on the settee.

“Where’s Stepfather?” the young Seto asked.

“He got called into work early this morning, Darling,” she cooed, ruffling his hair. “I know you’re disappointed, but we’ll have a good day together, and I’ve invited your friend Kin from the orphanage to dinner tonight.”

The small brunet frowned, “I hate that Stepfather always has to work. He never spends any time with us; sometimes I think he’s sorry he adopted us. When I grow up, I’ll never be like that to my family, especially on Christmas!” He folded his arms crossly, and pouted.

“Ah, the sweet innocence of a child…How things change with time,” Yami said softly, looking up at Kaiba. The brunet glowered at him, saying nothing. Suddenly, a deep voice rang out, “Ho ho ho, do I have to move someone from my ‘nice’ list to the ‘naughty’ one?” A man dressed as Santa Claus entered the room, a large bag in his hand.

“My stepmother had hired someone to dress as Santa Claus to make up for Gozaburo’s ineptitude,” Kaiba whispered to Yami.

The spirit quirked an eyebrow. “Are you sure?” he asked, turning back to the scene unfolding before them.

Eagerly, the two brothers opened their gifts, hugged their stepmother and Santa Claus, then with permission, scampered off to play with their new bounty. As soon as the boys had left, Mrs. Kaiba looked at Santa Claus and said, “That was a sweet thing you did, Gozaburo. I know it’s been a hard adjustment for the boys, especially Seto, but I know you will be a good father to them.” She stood up and hugged her husband.

Kaiba stood in the room aghast. His eyes wide, he stammered, “ _Gozaburo_ was Santa Claus? Son of a bitch!”

Yami nodded, “There were many things your stepfather did for you that you didn’t know about. Things aren’t always what they seem on the surface, are they?” He took Kaiba by the elbow and led him to the front door. “Come, we must continue on our journey.”

They walked out the front door and found themselves back at Kaiba Corp, but the room was furnished much differently. Soft Christmas carols played over the stereo system, and a small Christmas tree occupied a far corner of the main office. Technicians, secretaries and engineers were all gathered on the top floor making merry with punch, small sandwiches and assorted goodies and candies. Seto Kaiba in his early teen years entered, his arm draped around the shoulders of a slightly shorter blond boy with chocolate brown eyes.

“Kin! That’s my friend Kin from the orphanage! We stayed in contact for years after I was adopted. I tried to hire him, but he wouldn’t take the job. Too much pride, he wanted to make it on his own the way I had, but his path led him to science and medicine. He would have made a great doctor if it hadn’t been for…” Kaiba stopped, and looked down at the floor.

Yami reached up and touched him gently on the arm. “If it hadn’t been for the accident, yes. But this is just prior to that event, isn’t it? Back when you still enjoyed celebrating the holidays.”

Kaiba nodded slowly. “He wanted me to come with him to Switzerland for a week of skiing, but I told him to go ahead without me and I’d join him as soon as I finished up my project.”

“Seto, you are such a workaholic!” Kin joked. “I swear, work is going to be the death of you! Come on, put down that computer and join me! My stepparents rented a chalet in the Alps. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and I’m sure we can find something to do to occupy our time when we’re not skiing!” The young blond stood on his tiptoes and kissed the young brunet on the tip of the nose.

“Kin, I’d love to, but if I don’t finish this today, the stockholders will nail me to the wall. You go, and I’ll catch the red-eye tonight and be with you first thing in the morning, ok? I promise.”

The blond tugged his arm. “Come on, Seto! Leave it for someone else to finish. You deserve a break, and I want to see you. We don’t really have that much time for each other anymore!” He playfully poked him in the ribs. “Really, what’s so important that you can’t leave it for a week?”

“I have obligations here that I have to attend to,” the young Seto replied irritably. “Why can’t you understand that? Are you that selfish that you expect me to drop everything and go gallivanting off with you on a whim? It must be nice to have the luxury of free time and leisure!” Angrily, he turned his back to the blond.

“Seto, I…I’m sorry,” Kin replied, his lower lip quivering. “I just thought you might like to spend the holidays with me. If this is what’s important to you, then go ahead and finish it. I’ll be in Geneva, and I’ll wait for you at the airport tomorrow morning.” He wrapped his arms around the brunet, but backed away when he felt him stiffen at his touch. “Merry Christmas, Seto,” he said, a tear running down his cheek as he turned and left.

“Still think this is a trick?” the spirit asked Kaiba.

Kaiba’s eyes were red and glassy as he looked down at Yami. “That was a rotten thing to bring up,” he said coldly.

Yami met his gaze and smiled, “Just wait – it gets better. Here we are, four days later, and look – you’re still in your office, working.”

“I had made promises to my stockholders!” Kaiba said defensively.

“Hn. What about your promise to your friend?”

The telephone rang, and the young Seto picked it up. “Kaiba,” he said crisply. After a pause, he rubbed the bridge of his nose and said, “Damn it, Kin! I’ll get there when I can. This project is all messed up thanks to the incompetent engineers I hired, and I can’t concentrate with all these interruptions. Look, maybe it’s better if we just get together in the New Year, ok? (another pause) Whatever, I don’t care. We can have a late Christmas celebration, if that’s what you want. (another pause) I have to go, I’ll call you soon. Bye.” He hung up before the other could reply.

“And so, another link is forged in the chain. This was the turning point in your life – the point where you turned your back on everything but your company and your ambition.”

“Sometimes we have to make sacrifices,” Kaiba said, a little shakily.

Yami nodded. “Perhaps. But Kin made the ultimate sacrifice, didn’t he? He was so worried about you that, defying his better judgement and that of airport officials, he chartered a small plane from a remote airstrip and took off to come to you. The ceiling was too low, the visibility was terrible, and the pilot was inexperienced. Add to that the mountains, the blizzard and high winds; it was inevitable that the plane went down. But still, Kin was a fighter, and he survived the crash. He was brought to a small hospital in Luzern. Three days later, you received a call from his stepparents.”

“Kaiba…Hang on, let me put you on speaker phone; my hands are full.” The young brunet pushed a button and picked up his soldering iron. “What can I do for you, Sir?”

“Seto, Kin was in a plane crash. He managed to survive, but he’s in pretty rough shape. He’s asked if you can come see him.”

Seto paused mid-solder. “Oh God! Of course! I’ll leave for the airport from here as soon as I can book a flight.”

“Don’t worry about it, Seto. I’ve already taken care of it. The next flight to Bern is the 1241, which departs at 10:45. Sorry for such short notice.”

“I understand, Sir. Tell him I’m on my way.” The brunet hung up, just as the telephone rang again. “Kaiba…Damn it, how many?.. _HOW MUCH?_.. Remind me again what I pay you people for… Fine, I’ll be there.” With a sigh, he returned the phone to the cradle and stood up from his desk. “Sorry Kin,” he said aloud to the room, “I’ll be there tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow never came, did it?” Yami asked.

Kaiba shook his head, blinking away bitter tears. “If only I’d gone with him in the first place…” he mused to himself.

“ _’If only’_ …is that regret I hear in your voice?” the spirit asked. “’If only’ you’d gone with him…’if only’ you’d gone later as you promised…’if only’ you hadn’t lost your temper with him…’if only’ you’d gone to him instead of trying to fix a technical problem…Your life is full of regret, Seto Kaiba. Perhaps you should consider seizing the opportunities that present themselves rather than wallowing in the bitter sea of regret.”

“Who asked you?” Kaiba replied coldly. “Take me home.”

“Not yet. We have one more place to go. There’s one more thing I want you to see.”

“I don’t want to see it. Take me home now.”

“You must. If you are to be helped, then you must know this.” He grabbed Kaiba’s arm, and as he waved his hand in the air, the scene transformed to a small hospital room.

Kaiba’s eyes widened when he realized where he was, and though he tried to open the door and escape, he found he could not. “How dare you!” he hissed. “Why do you bring me here?”

The blond boy lay quietly on the small cot. His body was heavily bandaged and heavy tubes ran up his nose while several IV’s dripped silently beside him. His bruised eyelids slid open and he asked hoarsely, “Father, what time is it?”

“It’s 3:45 on Thursday,” the man replied evenly.

“Hn. It’s been four days…Seto’s not coming, is he father?”

“I’m sorry, Kin,” the man said, reaching out to take the frail hand in his. “He’s been called away on business.”

“Then I won’t wait any longer. I love you mother, father…Seto.” His chocolate eyes closed for the final time as a silent tear leaked out from under his eyelid to travel down his cheek. Within minutes, the boy stopped breathing.

“Oh God, Kin!” Kaiba said, valiantly trying to hold in his sobs as angry tears trickled from his eyes, stinging his cheeks.

“All he wanted up to his dying breath was to see you. No money, no material things, just your company. When you never came, he gave up the fight,” Yami said flatly.

“You bastard!” Kaiba snarled, wiping his eyes. “Take me away from this place now. I’ve seen enough!”

“I told you before we began that a journey through the past can be traumatic. These are pieces and fragments of your past as you created them, Seto Kaiba. They are what they are; you cannot blame me if they trouble you,” Yami said with a nonchalant shrug, and as they walked from the hospital room, they found themselves back in Kaiba’s office.

Yami stood beside the large desk and crossed his arms in front of him. “The past has a way of shaping our present, Seto Kaiba. Don’t live to regret the present when it becomes your past in the future.”

Enraged, Kaiba lunged for the spirit, but Yami disappeared leaving the unsuspecting desk chair to bear the brunt of the brunet’s attack.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. The quote is from Jimi Hendrix.

There was a deafening crash as man and furniture collided, and when the dust had settled, the desk chair was on its side, Kaiba face-down on top of it. The office door was thrown open and in a concerned voice Jounouchi called, “God, Kaiba, are you ok?”

A pair of cobalt blue eyes peered over the top of the desk, eyeing the blond standing in the doorway. Calmly, Kaiba replied, “I’m fine…I…I just leaned back too far in my chair and lost my balance.” He watched as a smirk tugged at the corner of the blond’s lips, and he did give Jou credit for maintaining his professionalism in the situation, but inside, he cringed at how stupid the lie made him look. Then again, telling the truth would have been much worse.

“Well,” Jou said, eyeing the brunet carefully, “As long as you’re ok, that’s good. Besides, if anything happened to you, it’d look pretty bad for me, eh?” He chuckled nervously, as Kaiba just stared at him. “You know, I’d be the number one suspect and all?”

“I get it, Jounouchi. Thank you for your concern,” he replied coolly. 

“Oh, by the way, a package came for you while you were in the washroom. I put it on that glass dealy over there,” he said, pointing across the room.

“The credenza?” he asked. Jou nodded and stared at him expectantly. “What?”

“I was waiting for the insult, that’s all…” Jou turned to go back to his desk.

Kaiba sighed. The night was not going well. He was trying to get this report finished, and here it was, already – he looked down at his watch – 6:55? Confused, he called out to the blond, “What time is it? My watch seems to have stopped.”

Jou cast a quick glance at his Timex and said, “It’s almost 7:00.”

Kaiba frowned, “Are you sure?”

Jou nodded his head, “I’ve been able to tell time since I was five, so yeah, I think I’m sure.”

“Fine. Carry on.”

“Ok. If you need anything else, I’ll be back in about ten minutes.” He saw the questioning look the brunet was giving him. “I have to go to the can.” Seto rolled his eyes as Jou shut the door behind him.

Kaiba set his chair upright and sank slowly into it. What the hell was going on? Time seemed to be moving of its own accord, and the mutt had no idea what was happening in here. He didn’t know what kind of trick this was, but he was going to get to the bottom of this one way or another. Yami and obviously done some research on him, and he was sure Mokuba had somehow been tricked into helping him gather information. But the stuff about Kin – Mokuba would never have known about that. He leaned back and rubbed his temples, feeling the beginnings of a migraine. As for the time, Jou could simply be playing along to make the illusion seem real. Setting his jaw, he dialled the number for the official time. There’s no way a government agency would go along with such an asinine scheme. After two rings, the line was answered and a computerized voice said, “The local time is now six fifty-nine p m. The universal time is now…” 

He hung up the phone, his face pale. He was still doubtful that his encounter with Yami had been a visit from the Ghost of Christmas Past, but a small part of him began to wonder if it had been real. He turned and saw that his glass credenza was still intact, a small package sitting on top of it. He wrinkled his brow in confusion. Deciding that he would be ready at 7:00 for whatever came his way, he sat back in his chair, one eye on his office, one eye on his Rolex. He watched as the second hand swept around to the hour, but nothing happened. He watched for a full minute before relaxing and letting out his breath in a heavy sigh. 

“Nonsense – it was all complete and utter nonsense,” he said aloud, turning back to his report. After a couple of minutes, he glanced over at the package sitting on the credenza. “Probably just a fruitcake from some boot licker I hired,” he mused and returned to his work. After another couple of minutes, his curiosity got the better of him and he walked over to the package. It was probably a foot square and about four inches deep; there was no clue as to the sender’s identity. Tentatively, he pulled off the brown wrapping paper and pulled out a slightly smaller box wrapped in red foil with a gold bow. As he turned it over in his hands, the box began to vibrate, and startled, he dropped it back onto the glass top. 

Eyes wide, he watched in amazement as the box began to hum and a bright light began peeking out from the folds of the box, growing brighter with every passing second. After about a minute, the room was engulfed by a flash of white, and Kaiba instinctively threw his arm over his eyes to shield them. When he lowered his hand, he saw Marik sitting on top of the credenza, his rear end caught in the glass that had cracked under his weight.

The spirit looked at Kaiba and said, “Normally, this is a grand, spectacular entrance.” He stared at the brunet who was standing there with his mouth half open, watching the scene unfolding around him. “Hey, a little help, please?” he said, holding his hand out.

Returning to reality, Kaiba gave his head a small shake and grabbed Marik by the hand. Hoisting him off the credenza and onto his feet, he asked coolly, “What is it with you spirits and my credenza, Marik?”

The blond turned to look, then shrugged and straightened himself up. “I don’t know anyone by that name, but I am the Ghost of Christmas Present. Get it? Present??” He smiled as he watched Kaiba roll his eyes.

“I was right; it was a fruitcake,” he said, the faintest twinkle in his eye. “You have obviously gone to a lot of trouble with this, so Marik, lead on. Show me what awaits me in the present.”

“Marik,” the spirit said, obviously amused. “Quite the strange name, but I like it. Come, we have much to see, and less time than I would have liked.” He cast a glance at Kaiba and said, “You know, most people open a gift soon after receiving it.”

Kaiba shrugged, “Didn’t seem that important to me.”

“Didn’t seem…” Marik said indignantly. “By the time we have finished our journey, I imagine you will feel much differently.”

Kaiba smirked, “Doubtful, but we’ll see.”

Marik grabbed him by the hand and said, “Come on then, let’s begin.” He walked over to Kaiba’s balcony and opened the sliding glass door. He stepped out onto the steel platform, dragging Kaiba with him. “Look out there; what do you see?”

The brunet shrugged and said, “Cars racing to make last minute purchases, hundreds of brightly coloured lights, long lines, short tempers…”

The blond rolled his eyes and smacked Kaiba in the back of the head; Kaiba glared at him. “You see only the physical, you need to look deeper. See what can’t really be seen. The material things you see are but a window to hope, excitement, faith, togetherness, love and joy. You need to have a closer look, Seto Kaiba; get ‘down and dirty’ with the people you look down upon from up here in your steel tower – the ones you refuse to make time for.” Before Kaiba could respond, he pushed the brunet over the balcony ledge, smirking as he heard the shout of fear. Then, he climbed up on the ledge and dove off after his charge.

Kaiba screamed as he fell, watching as the ground came hurtling up towards him at considerable speed. Realizing that he was going to die, he closed his eyes and sobbed, “I’m sorry, Mokuba! I’m sorry!” He felt a tugging at his sleeve, and his eyes snapped open. To his right was the smiling face of Marik, the wind whipping his hair out behind him making him look both angelic and demonic at the same time.

“Maybe there’s hope for you after all,” Marik said, grabbing the brunet around the waist. About a foot from the ground, they stopped their descent. Marik gracefully stepped down to the ground, laughing as Kaiba fell face-first into the snow. “Oh, watch that last step,” the spirit said. “I probably should have mentioned it earlier...”

Kaiba stood up quickly, brushing snow off his clothing as he glared at the blond spirit. “Jackass,” he muttered under his breath.

Marik wrapped his arm around the brunet and grinned, “Oh, don’t be such a sour puss. Come on, we have to hurry.” In silence they walked until they stopped outside an old, dingy apartment building.

“What the hell are we doing here?” Kaiba demanded, looking distastefully at his surroundings.

“Come see for yourself. I’m sure you’ll find it very interesting,” the blond spirit replied, leading them up to a fourth floor apartment. As they entered the room, the sound of shouting could be heard coming from the living room.

“You ungrateful little bastard! I give you food and shelter, and you spend all your money on that whore of a sister and the bitch she lives with.”

Jou flushed red in anger and said, “Yeah, bread, ketchup and butter; this place is the fucking Ritz-Carlton! What I do with my money is my business, old man! You spend yours all on booze and cigarettes. What the hell do you care anyway? The only reason you keep me around is because your welfare cheque is that much bigger if you have a dependent!”

“Yeah, well as soon as you turn 18, you’re out on your ass, brat!” the old man spat. He picked up an empty beer bottle and hurled it at his son. Jou ducked just in time, and the glass shattered on the filthy wall behind him. “You won’t be so lucky next time!” the old man said, as he lunged at Jou and caught him in the lip with his fist.

The blond glared at his father and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Fuck you, Dad!” he said. “Merry Christmas – your present is in the fridge. I’d have gift wrapped it, but why cheapen the look of a bottle of Wild Turkey?” he said coldly.

His father stopped mid-rant and stared at him. “You got me a present, Boy?” Jou nodded. “Shit, why didn’t you say so? I love you, son.” He grabbed his son and pulled him into a tight embrace.

“Whatever,” Jou said patting his old man on the back. “I’ll see you later. You two have fun tonight.” He walked out the door without looking back.

Kaiba and Marik followed the blond out into the hall. Kaiba looked at the Spirit and said, “I had no idea Jounouchi lived like this.”

“Would it have mattered to you?” Marik asked. “Would his situation have changed the way you treated him?” 

“I…I…” Kaiba began, then trailed off.

They watched as Jou entered a coffee shop and joined a smiling red-head sitting in a booth wearing a pair of dark sunglasses. As soon as she saw the cut on his lip, she frowned with concern and pulled out a Kleenex for him.

Jou grinned and dabbed at his mouth. “Thanks, sis.” He tenderly took off her glasses and looked at the tired circles under his eyes. He frowned, “I thought the doctor told you to take it easy?”

“I have been,” she said.

“Hn. Well, did you give your eyes the rest they needed this afternoon?”

She dropped her gaze and shook her head.

“How about yesterday, or the day before?”

Again, Shizuka shook her head.

“Sis, I hate to sound like the bad guy here, but you have to rest your eyes. That infection could cause you to lose your eyesight, and I can’t afford all the medications you need. I’m trying, but in the meantime, the doc says rest will help prolong your sight. Please try? For me?”

“I’ll try, but you know how much I love to see the lights and the decorations at Christmas. Who can rest when all that is going on?”

Jou grinned, and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. “I understand. Really, I do, but Shizuka, I want you to be able to see things for years to come.” He stroked her hand tenderly and said, “I want you to be able to keep looking at this handsome mug, too. You know I only get more striking with age.”

Kaiba looked at Marik and asked, “What’s wrong with her eyesight? I thought the mu…er, Jounouchi paid to have it fixed a while ago.”

Marik looked at him gravely and said, “He did. The operation was a success, but afterwards, complications arose and now she requires expensive medications and treatments to prevent infections. Jounouchi gives every bit of money he makes to his sister, but it isn’t enough.”

Kaiba watched as the young girl playfully poked her brother in the arm, joking and laughing with her older sibling. Suddenly, he said, “She’s a fighter like her brother. She’ll make it, right?”

The spirit stared through the window at the young girl. “I see a life of darkness and shadows. There will be pain and heartache for Jounouchi if the events of the future are allowed to occur unchanged.

“No, it’s not fair! I’ll get my top medical personnel at Kaiba Corp working on the problem.”

Marik turned and looked at the brunet. “Why bother? Why the hell should we pretend to be all caring and merciful during the holidays? It’s a waste of time.”

Kaiba looked away uneasily, feeling a knot in his stomach as he heard his own cruel words echoed back to him.

“We are what we are, Seto Kaiba. One day can’t change us, can it?”

He turned his back to the spirit, his cold blue eyes clouded with shame. He turned back to the conversation between the two siblings.

“Forget about it for tonight and have a good time. Mokuba’s coming. He’s looking forward to seeing you, too.”

The young girl brightened at the sound of the young Kaiba’s name. “Oh, I haven’t seen him in ages! Is his brother coming, too?”

Jou sighed, “No. He’s working today. I just wish…Ah, never mind.”

“No, what is it, Jou?”

The blond smiled and a faint pink spread across his face. “Nothing, it’s not important.”

Her eyes widened in surprise and she asked him, “Is it about Kaiba?”

Before the blond could reply, Marik grabbed the brunet by the elbow and pulled him away from the window, saying they had other places to go still. 

“You could have let me hear the end of the conversation,” Kaiba fumed.

“It wasn’t conducive to our journey,” the spirit replied.

“The hell it wasn’t!” Kaiba stormed, but Marik ignored him, leading him through the snow and stopping outside Yugi’s house. Dragging him inside and upstairs, he ushered Kaiba into the small kitchen where Yugi, his grandfather, and the whole gang sat for their Christmas dinner. “Good, we’re just in time.”

“I’m so glad you could all come,” Yugi’s grandfather said. “Having the house full of people is the best present an old man like me could have.”

“I only wish that Seto could have made it. Without him here, it feels like there’s something missing,” Mokuba said sadly. Kaiba felt a pain in his heart when he heard his brother’s words.

Jounouchi nodded, “I know, but he’s doing what he thinks is best. I just wish he could see that he needs to take some time for himself, too.”

Honda choked on the glass of water he was drinking. “Man, I can’t believe you of all people would sit there and defend ol’ Moneybags. He treats you like shit and pays you like shit, so why the hell do you care about what happens to him?”

Jou shrugged as a faint blush coloured his cheeks, “I just do, ok? Drop it.”

Honda shook his head and said, “It’s probably a good thing he’s not here. No offence, Mokuba, but your brother’s a first-class asshole. I’m glad there’s at least one decent Kaiba out there.”

Mokuba sighed, and looked over at Jou, who punched Honda in the arm. “I said drop it, Honda. Jesus, it’s fucking Christmas! Everyone deserves some happiness today, even Kaiba!”

“Well said, Jou,” Shizuka said as she entered the room carrying a plate full of turkey, followed by Anzu who had a bowl of potatoes.

“Wow!” Yugi said, eyeing the table laden with bowls and platters. “There’s enough here to feed an army – or at least all of us plus Jou,” he said, winking at the blond.

Jou stuck out his tongue at his short friend, grinning good-naturedly. Then, he raised his glass of eggnog and said, “Before we eat, I propose a toast of good wishes to Kaiba. Wherever he is, and whatever he’s doing, I hope he’s having a Merry Christmas, and knows that his friends are thinking of him.”

Honda snorted and Otogi said, “Yeah, I’m sure he cares. If he was here, he’d just make some sarcastic remark like he always does and turn the whole night into a big downer.”

“Guys,” Jou said, “Come on, it’s Christmas.”

“Yeah, I know it’s Christmas,” Honda said, sneering. “And only a heartless, selfish, arrogant, unfeeling bastard would be working today.”

The blond gave them a pleading look and said once more, “It’s Christmas. Don’t be a couple of pricks.”

“Fine. Because you asked, I’ll toast Kaiba and wish him a Merry Christmas, but not as his friend,” Otogi said while Honda nodded in agreement.

Jou smiled and said, “To Kaiba then, Merry Christmas,”

The group replied in kind, some a little more sincere in their sentiments than others. As they set their glasses down, an uncomfortable silence descended on the group until Mokuba spoke up and said, “I’m starving; let’s eat!”

They laughed and dug into the feast before them. While they were eating, Marik jabbed Kaiba in the ribs and said, “That was awfully nice of Jou, no?”

Kaiba snorted, “He’s just sucking up to my little brother.”

Marik laughed derisively, “Right, because all your corporate decisions are based on his input. Get real…Did you ever think that maybe he really does consider you a friend, maybe more? Kind of like someone else you used to know, huh?”

“Don’t go there,” Kaiba growled.

“Come on, Seto Kaiba,” Marik continued. “You can’t tell me that he doesn’t stir up feelings in you; feelings you haven’t had for a long time.”

“I refuse to discuss my love life with a nut case like you,” he said defiantly.

Marik raised an eyebrow in surprise, “I was talking friendship. Who said anything about your love life? Now that’s an interesting turn of phrase…”

Kaiba flushed pink, but refused to comment further, watching instead with some amusement as a food fight broke out with the mashed potatoes. After about five minutes, Yugi’s grandfather ushered the group out of the kitchen and told them to go play a game while he cleaned up, grateful that this year they hadn’t gotten to the gravy.

They decided to play a trivia game, one team of three and one team of four. As they started playing, Kaiba observed with great interest that Jou wasn’t as stupid as he pretended to be. As the game progressed, Kaiba found himself shouting out the answers, giving hints to the others and generally involving himself in the activities even though they couldn’t see or hear him, much to the pleasure of the spirit. As they finished the first game and were moving on to the second, Kaiba looked at the spirit and asked if they could stay just a little longer; he had to know how the game would turn out.

Marik shook his head. “My time is up. We have to return.” As Marik led him back to Kaiba Corp, they stopped several times on the way to peek in on other families enjoying their Christmas celebrations. No matter where they stopped, be it the wealthy or the poor, the healthy or the sick, there was always one thing in common – a sense of happiness and pure joy overflowing from the inhabitants. People didn’t care that they would have to work the next day, or that the mortgage payments were due in a week, or that the doctors had only predicted another month for a patient to live; the day was all about togetherness and everything else seemed trivial.

When they returned to Kaiba’s office, the brunet stood reflecting on what he had seen. No matter the person, irregardless of his status in life, the Christmas spirit was upon all; and the more he reflected, the less he wanted to go back to his empty office and work on reports. Marik smirked as he noticed the slight change in Kaiba’s demeanour, and he said smugly, “As I recall, someone told me earlier that I wouldn’t change his thinking. Too bad that was in the past – I deal with the present, so I won’t gloat. You have the power to change, how you change is up to you. Just remember one thing in all your future dealings with people: _when the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace_. 1 Merry Christmas, Seto Kaiba.”

He heard a small beep and glanced over at the small clock on his desk. He frowned as he saw it was 7:00, and when he looked up, he was surprised to find the spirit gone. He felt a chill and as he looked towards the door, he saw a heavy fog creeping into the room.


	5. Chapter Five

As he watched the heavy fog, it appeared to rise, forming itself into the shape of a man. As more and more fog gathered, the shape became more and more detailed, the translucent grey becoming a dense black, appendages cloaked in flowing robes emerging from the mist. After a few moments, a hooded figure shrouded in black stood before him, glowing red eyes peering out at him from the darkness. Kaiba stood there staring at the figure, subconsciously backing up several paces from it. He heard a deep chuckling coming from beneath the hood, and he watched as the spectre reached out its hand, pulling back its hood. With a dark laugh, a mane of white hair and dark eyes appeared, smirking at the brunet. “Are you prepared to see the future you have created, mortal?”

Knowing the identity of the spirit did not make Kaiba any less apprehensive, and he remained at a distance from him. “Bakura?!” Kaiba asked incredulously.

“What is a Bakura?” the spirit asked, a puzzled look on his face. “I am the Ghost of Christmas Future.”

“I thought that spirit was supposed to be silent and unseen.”

Bakura shrugged and said matter-of-factly, “At times, but I’ve never been one for following the rules. But believe me, I’m no less capable than the hooded figure you expected.” He took a few steps towards the brunet, noting with a smirk that Kaiba matched him pace for pace in the opposite direction. “Fear me, Seto Kaiba, but know that I’m not here to hurt you.” When the brunet had backed himself up against the window, Bakura slowly advanced on him until he stood at arm’s length from him. Laughing softly, the spirit reached up and gently stroked Kaiba’s cheek, observing how he recoiled at the touch, his eyes wide. He sniffed the air and said, “I can smell the fear on you; let us begin our lesson.” He swept his cloak up and around the two of them, and in an instant they found themselves outside the courthouse. Slipping silently into the gallery, they watched the proceedings unfolding in front of them.

“Will the defendant please rise for sentencing,” the judge said. Kaiba’s jaw dropped in surprise when he saw who was standing there. It was Jounouchi, perhaps ten years older, but unmistakable. He turned to Bakura and asked, “What happened?”

Bakura merely stared straight ahead and said coldly, “Watch and learn.”

“Katsuya Jounouchi,” the judge continued, “You have been tried and convicted by a jury of your peers with illegal firearms possession, possession of burglary tools, three counts of armed robbery, two counts of burglary, and two counts of assault. Before I pronounce sentence, do you have anything you wish to say?”

The blond kept his eyes lowered and shook his head. “No, your Honour. I have nothing to say. It wouldn’t matter anyway.”

“Very well. I understand why you were motivated to commit these crimes. The love for a sibling runs deep, and I’ve seen countless individuals come before me desperate to do anything. However, in this country we have laws, and we cannot allow individuals to run amok. There are programs in place designed to help individuals such as your sister, and in this case, the ends do not justify the means.”

“That’s bullshit!” Jou spat looking up at the judge. “Those programs have huge waiting lists, and you have to have the cash up front to enter them!”

“Order!” the judge said, banging his gavel. “Another outburst like that and I’ll have you removed from this courtroom!” He glared at Jou, and then continued, “As I was saying, your actions were wrong, and therefore must be punished. Your attorney has submitted a writ for leniency from this court for your sentencing. I’m afraid that given your background, your previous gang involvement and the severity of your crimes, this is not possible. To that end, this court sentences you to 35 years imprisonment with no chance for parole for 20 years, to be served at a medium-security facility.” The judge banged his gavel, and the bailiff led Jounouchi through a side door back to the holding cells.

“Why did he turn to crime? He had a good job and was making a decent living.”

Bakura laughed cruelly, “Did he? You make good on your promise and fire him on January first. After that, he will wander from menial job to menial job, but won’t make enough money to support his sister. Inevitably, he will turn to a life of crime.” The spirit smirked and asked, “Does this bother you?”

“Of course it does! He had potential, and was a damn good personal assistant. To see him throw away his life to rot in prison baffles me!”

As Bakura walked towards the door, he looked back over his shoulder and said, “I see. Too bad you never told him, eh? Too bad you never told him a lot of things…”

Kaiba raised an eyebrow in revelation, following behind the spirit yet keeping his distance. They walked to a small, unassuming little house on the edge of town. Once inside, they went up a narrow flight of stairs and stood outside a closed door. From inside, they could hear crying. Bakura grabbed the brunet by the wrist and pulled him into the room. A chill ran down his spine when he saw who was sitting at the window.

Shizuka sat by the open window, a pair of dark glasses on the desk beside her. They couldn’t see her face, but they could hear her sobbing. After a few moments, she turned back to the room and Kaiba gasped in surprise. Her once-sparkling eyes were clouded to an opaque milky-blue, dark purple circles hung heavy under her eyes, and her eyelids were swollen and puffy.

“Is she…blind?” Kaiba asked, feeling a sick tightening in his chest as he looked at the young woman.

The white-haired spirit merely gestured to the white cane neatly folded up beside her bed. “It was inevitable,” he shrugged.

Shizuka blew her nose, then picked up a small Dictaphone from the corner of her desk. They watched as she felt along the buttons, looking for the record switch. “Hi Jou. I just got off the phone with your lawyer, and I know what happened in court. Oh Jou, I’m so sorry for all the trouble I caused you! If you hadn’t been such a good big brother, you wouldn’t be in jail right now. I know that it’s too late now, but I want you to know that you won’t have to worry about me any more. I’m going to take care of things myself. I know that this might seem like the coward’s way out, but believe me, I’ve thought things over, and it’s for the best. I only hope that in time you’ll come to forgive me and realize that you were the one who gave me strength. Without you, I’m nothing. I love you, big brother.”

She shut off the device and left it on the corner of her desk. Then, she stood up and felt her way along the room to the door, out into the hall, and into the bathroom. She crouched down in front of the sink and opened the small cabinet. Carefully, she felt her way around all the bottles and cans that were stored there, eventually selecting one, standing up and returning to her room. Kaiba’s eyes widened when he saw what the bottle contained.

“Draino?” he shouted. “Bakura, she’s going to commit suicide, isn’t she? We have to stop her!” Kaiba raced back to Shizuka’s room in time to see her unscrew the lid and drink the contents of the entire bottle. She groaned in pain, and lay doubled over on her bed as the caustic burned her insides. “Shit! We have to call for help!” Kaiba grabbed for the telephone on her desk but found he wasn’t able to move it. Glaring at Bakura, he grabbed him by the cloak and said angrily, “She’s going to die! Do something, Bakura! Call for help!”

“Sorry, not my department,” Bakura said icily, pushing the brunet off of him and straightening his cloak.

Kaiba watched as Shizuka coughed, crying at the pain she felt as the liquid was tearing her insides apart. Kaiba turned away, tears of anger on his face. “Why are you letting her die?” he demanded.

The white-haired spirit rounded on Kaiba, his eyes dark, and he spat, “ _I’m_ not the one who killed her. I neither control the events of the future nor have the capacity to change it. I merely show you a glimpse of what is in store. If things do not change, you will have laid the foundation for this future to be built upon.” He turned his back to the brunet and said coldly, “Come, we must continue.”

Before they left, Kaiba cast a sad glance back to the redhead lying on the bed, her breaths shallow and ragged. As they returned to the street, his head was bowed, his mind lost in thought. They walked along the street in silence for a few minutes, stopping beside a small group of business executives who were waiting for the crosswalk.

“I hear it was pretty cold-blooded,” the first said to the other two. “I know he was a bastard, but not even he deserved that.”

The second chuckled softly, “Says you. I say what goes around comes around, and he got his ‘just desserts’. Imagine, walking down the street, then BANG! A fucking bullet through the temple, point blank!”

“With him gone, I wonder how that’s going to affect the stock prices?” asked the third.

The other two laughed. “Probably not much. His replacement is younger, but just like him. Learned from the master, I suppose,” replied the second. “Well, I’ll see you at lunch. Gotta go foreclose on a young couple, and at Christmas, too.” He clucked his tongue in feigned sympathy, and then continued, “This is the worst part of my job.” He laughed again, and trotted off across the intersection.

“Think they’ll catch the kid who did it?” the third asked his remaining comrade.

“Who knows,” came the reply. “If it was up to me, I’d give the kid a fucking medal. Good riddance!” He chuckled and waved good-bye to his associate.

“What was that all about?” Kaiba asked Bakura, shuddering involuntarily as he reflected on the executives’ conversation.

“Another executive was murdered,” Bakura said casually. “Happens all the time.” He waved his hand, and the next thing Kaiba knew, they were standing in the morgue.

“I know Shizuka died; we were there, remember?” Kaiba said to the spirit.

“Who said anything about her?” Bakura replied darkly.

Kaiba felt his knees go weak. “Not Mokuba!” he pleaded.

“Not Mokuba,” Bakura said as the door opened with a heavy bang. The coroner walked in followed by a taller man with shoulder length raven-black hair.

“Mokuba!” Kaiba cried as he saw the older incarnation of his baby brother. He was now a couple of inches taller than he was, and probably fifty pounds heavier, but solidly built. He had cut his hair shorter, but it still looked as soft and silky as ever. He smiled as he looked at his brother, then his breath caught in his throat. Mokuba’s slate-grey eyes were cold and dull; the exuberant light that had once danced in them had long ago been extinguished. His mouth was curved into a cruel sneer, and he said coldly, “Can we hurry this along? I have better things to do.”

The doctor nodded and mumbled, “So sorry, Mr. Kaiba. We just need you to identify the body, please.” He ambled over to the freezer and opened one of the drawers. He slid out the gurney and beckoned Mokuba over to him. Lifting up a corner of the sheet, he asked carefully, “Is this him?”

Mokuba frowned and said, “How the hell should I know? Half his head has been blown off! This is about as distinctive as a mannequin!”

Again, the doctor apologized and said, “Let me grab the personal effects. That should help.”

“Do that,” Mokuba replied in a tone that was eerily familiar to Kaiba. The brunet shuddered.

As the doctor was searching through his cabinets, a technician came in and handed a report to him. Apologizing for the intrusion, she hurried out of the room, scurrying away from Mokuba’s stern gaze. “Ah! Here we are,” he said as he handed a large envelope to Mokuba. While the dark-haired man looked through the contents, the doctor had a look at the report.

“Well, it seems as if we have confirmation, sir. Half the genetic markers are in common, meaning he was a relative.”

Mokuba nodded and said, “Yes, and this further verifies it.” He held up the Duel Monsters card locket that Kaiba always wore. Kaiba’s eyes widened and he felt frantically at his own throat for the beloved article. He felt nauseous and leaned against a spare gurney fighting the urge to throw up.

“Where shall I have the body sent?” the doctor asked cautiously.

“I don’t give a damn,” Mokuba replied. “Have it cremated somewhere and the ashes buried in the family plot.”

“What about funerary services?”

“I don’t have time for that. I have some bullshit Christmas benefit to attend tonight, then I’m leaving first thing in the morning for a conference in Mexico and won’t be back for a month. Seto left me a ton of shit to deal with, and I have to say, I’m not really impressed by it.”

“But sir, he was your only brother!”

“True, but I’m sure he’d understand. He told me that once I was working, there’d be no time for friends, and he was right. It seems like I’ve been working non-stop since finishing school. Besides, I just can’t afford to take the time off.” Mokuba turned and walked out of the room.

“Mokuba! I was wrong! I was wrong about a lot of things!” Kaiba called out, but his brother couldn’t hear him. He watched as the doctor shoved the gurney back into the freezer and slammed the door. “No, I don’t want to die!” he shouted, trying to open the door, watching as the doctor took a card and wrote ‘Kaiba, S’ on the tag and slid it into the slot. “I can’t die like this!” he pleaded with the doctor, who ignored him and continued on with his work.

Kaiba turned and saw Bakura leaning casually against the far wall, his arms folded loosely across his chest, a sinister smirk on his lips. “Here ends the lesson,” the spirit said aloud.

“Bakura, tell me that this isn’t the way it’s going to end for me! Tell me that Jou’s not going to go to jail; that Shizuka’s not going to go blind and kill herself! Tell me that my brother’s not going to turn out like…like…” His voice caught in his throat as he whispered the last word, “Me.” He let out a sob that sounded more like a hiccup, and dropping to his knees he hugged the spirit tightly.

Bakura looked at him with disgust, and pushing him away said, “Pull yourself together, Seto Kaiba! I told you that you are responsible for laying the foundation of your own future. How you do that is up to you.”

Kaiba looked up at him and said, “Then, it’s not too late? I can prevent all of this from happening?”

“Get up,” Bakura said, offering him his hand. He pulled the brunet to his feet and said, “If you’ve paid attention to all that we’ve shown you tonight, then no, it’s not too late. If you choose to forget what you’ve learned, well, the end result lies before you.”

“I have learned,” Kaiba said, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. “I will make things right and prevent this horrible future from occurring.”

Bakura looked at him coldly for a moment, as if studying him. Finally, he said, “I believe you, Seto Kaiba. For your sake, don’t make me look foolish for trusting you.” He pulled Kaiba into his arms and felt the brunet wrap his arms around his waist. Giving a very uncharacteristic grin, he patted him on the back and whispered, “Merry Christmas, Seto Kaiba.”

“Merry Christmas,” Kaiba replied, closing his eyes and clinging tightly to the white-haired spirit. “Merry Christmas,” he repeated louder, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself back in his office hugging a coat stand, looking eye-to-eye at a very bewildered Jounouchi.


	6. Chapter Six

“Um, Kaiba?” Jou began tentatively, “Is everything ok?”

The brunet stared at him, his blue eyes sparkling mischievously as he replied, “What makes you ask?”

The blond cleared his throat and said, “Well, uh…I heard a bang and…well, found you shouting ‘Merry Christmas’ and hanging off the coat stand.”

“And how would that make you think something was wrong?” Kaiba asked nonchalantly, propping his elbow on one of the coat hooks as though it were the most natural thing to do.

Jou blinked in confusion, then said, “I recall someone telling me a couple of hours ago that he was trying to run a professional organization.”

Kaiba set the coat rack upright and looked at Jou thoughtfully. “Ah yes, so I did, so I did…” he mused. “Jounouchi, what time is it?”

“It’s…7:05. Why?”

Kaiba grinned at the blond like a Cheshire cat and said, “It’s after hours, I can do what I want, no?” He advanced on Jou, who nervously took a couple of steps backwards into the outer office. Forcing his face back into a scowl, he said, “Jounouchi, unless you want to find yourself unemployed come the New Year, you will not move another inch.” The blond froze mid-step, and Kaiba grinned again. “Better, now stay,” he said, and winked. The brunet went over to Jou’s desk, scanning the top. His eyes lit up when he found what he was looking for, and he put it behind his back as he walked back over to Jou.

“Kaiba, wh…what are you doing?” Jou asked nervously.

“Collecting,” Kaiba said.

“Collecting what?”

Kaiba pulled the small sprig of mistletoe out from behind his back and held it over his head. “Collecting what you offered earlier,” he said softly, dropping the plant to the floor then crushing Jou’s lips with a bruising kiss. He pulled away and disappeared into his office, returning a moment later wearing his trench coat. He pushed the elevator call button, then grabbed a cookie off of the plate that was still on Jou’s desk.

Kaiba smirked; Jou was still standing where Kaiba had left him, a stunned expression on his face, his fingers pressed to his lips. When the doors opened, Kaiba turned to him and said, “God, Jounouchi, it’s Christmas Eve! You going to work all night? Go home!” As the doors slid shut, he winked at the blond and took a bite out of his cookie, laughing to himself at the thought of his poor, confused puppy left standing there.

When he reached the lobby, he climbed in the back of his limo and said, “Take me to the mall.”

The driver hesitated and asked, “The mall, Sir?”

“Yes, Steven, the mall. The place with all the shops under one roof.”

“Yes, Sir.”

After about twenty minutes, the limo pulled up outside one of the main entrances. “I will call you when I’m finished,” Kaiba said as he got out of the backseat. “I shouldn’t be more than an hour.”

“Very good, Sir. I’ll be here.”

Kaiba watched as the limo pulled away from the curb, then he went inside. It was jammed with last-minute shoppers, but Kaiba found the crowd didn’t bother him as much as he had thought it would. Knowing his time was limited, he set his game-face and proceeded on his quest to buy Christmas presents. One by one, he mentally checked off each name, and when he called his driver at 8:30, he was completely laden with bags, physically exhausted, but happier than he could ever remember. Once all his parcels were carefully loaded into the trunk, he climbed into the backseat and said, “Steven, take me home, please.”

The car began to move and Kaiba pulled out his cell phone. Quickly, he dialled the home phone number for his chief accountant.

“It’s Kaiba,” he said sternly. “And we have a problem.” He smirked to himself and thought, ‘ _This is going to be fun._ ’

“Wh…what problem, Sir?” the CPA answered.

“I was just going over the books and it seems that no one received a Christmas bonus this year.”

“I beg your pardon, Sir?”

“Christmas bonuses. Why weren’t they sent out?”

“Sir, with all due respect, you…”

“I what? I’m an arrogant, selfish bastard? Is that what you were going to say?” Kaiba said, raising his voice slightly.

“N…no, Sir! I would never say that to you!” the flustered accountant stammered.

“Why not?” Kaiba responded with a snicker. “It’s completely true. When you come back in, I want you to send out bonuses to everyone. Let’s say, a week’s pay for every year of service.” He heard the squeak of surprise from the man on the other end. “Unless of course, you think we should re-invest the money…”

“No, thank you, Mr. Kaiba! That’s most gracious of you!”

Kaiba smiled and said, “Merry Christmas. Enjoy your holidays.” He hung up the phone and grinned, imagining the look on the man’s face.

When they reached his home, he leaned forward and said, “Steven, I have one more favour to ask of you tonight.”

“Anything, Sir.”

“I want you to have the items in the trunk placed in my study, and I don’t want Mokuba to see you do so. After that, I have a special delivery for you to make tonight.”

“Very good, Sir. I’ll take care of that right now.”

Kaiba climbed out of the car and walked up the steps into the house. When he got to the Great Hall, he saw Mokuba sitting cross-legged on the floor staring at the Christmas tree he had decorated. Dropping his briefcase with a heavy thud, he growled, “I thought I told you to get rid of that thing.”

Mokuba started, then whirled around to face his brother. Wide eyed, he said, “Seto! I wasn’t expecting you home so early – I just wanted to look at it a little longer before I put it away.”

The brunet smirked and said, “How about we just keep it out instead?”

A wide grin broke across the raven-haired boy’s face, and he said, “Really? You mean it?” He jumped up and ran over to his brother, nearly knocking him over as he hugged him tightly.

Kaiba smiled and stroked his brother’s long hair. “I mean it, kiddo. I’ve also taken off the rest of the night, and tomorrow, too.”

The younger boy looked up at him, tears of happiness shining in his eyes. “Thank you, big brother. This is the best present you could have given me.”

The brunet grinned and said, “Well, if that’s the way you feel, I can always take back…”

“Seto!” Mokuba whined, “That’s just a figure of speech!”

Kaiba poked his brother playfully and said, “Really? I had no idea!”

Mokuba attacked his older sibling and was in the process of trying to tackle him to the ground when Steven appeared at the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt, Sir,” he said, “But you asked me if I’d make a delivery for you tonight.”

Kaiba disentangled himself from the writhing form that was his brother and nodded. He went to his briefcase and pulled out a piece of paper, scribbled an address on it, and handed it to his driver. Then he pulled out another piece of paper, jotted a quick note on it, sealed the envelope, and handed it to Steven. “If you don’t mind, take the Bentley. I don’t want the limo recognized, please.”

The driver nodded and turned to leave. “Steven, wait.”

Kaiba pulled out his chequebook and quickly filled in the information. Tearing off the slip of paper, he handed it to the older man and said, “For your trouble tonight, and for the job you’ve done all year. Merry Christmas.”

Steven nodded graciously, tucking the cheque into his breast pocket. Kaiba smirked, knowing that Steven wouldn’t be so crass as to look at it in front of him. He watched him walk out to the foyer, then heard an excited whoop of joy. He snickered to himself knowing the man had seen the amount. He turned back to the Great Hall and noticed Mokuba standing there, staring at him. “What’s wrong now, short stuff?” he asked.

Mokuba stuck his tongue out at his brother good-naturedly and said, “What was that all about? I’ve never known you to give out gifts to the staff, big brother. Especially monetary gifts.”

Kaiba shrugged nonchalantly and said, “What, I can’t change my mind about things?” He grabbed his little brother and threw him over his shoulder. “And now, I think it’s time for you to be going to bed.”

“So, what was in the envelope?” Mokuba asked.

“My future.”

* * *

Christmas morning dawned bright and sunny, and it was just past 6:30 when Mokuba went running into his brother’s room and took a flying leap at the bed, intent on waking his older sibling up. He blinked in confusion when he found the bed empty, save for a few extra pillows that had been stuffed between the covers to look like a body. Where was Seto?

He went running downstairs and found his brother sitting at the dining room table, reading the paper and drinking his tea. In Mokuba’s place was a large plate of bacon, sausages, French toast and scrambled eggs. “Merry Christmas, Mokuba,” he said, his nose still in the paper. “Eat, and then you can open your Christmas presents.”

The young boy slid into his place and as he chewed a piece of bacon, he asked, “How long have you been up?”

“Hm, most of the night, I suppose,” the brunet replied, folding his paper and watching his younger brother with great interest. “Guess I was so excited about today, I just couldn’t sleep.”

Mokuba choked on the glass of orange juice he was drinking, and managed to sputter, “You!? Ok, who are you and where’s Seto?”

“Mokuba, it _is_ me. If you’d rather, I can change my plans and go in to work…”

“No, stay here!” He quickly wolfed down his food, then dragged his brother into the Great Hall. After tearing through his gifts, he looked up at his big brother and smiled. To his own surprise, Kaiba smiled back and really meant it.

“Mokuba, go and get dressed; I have a bunch of gifts I’d like to take to the orphanage for the children there. What do you think?”

The small boy nodded, and quickly scampered up the stairs to get changed. A few minutes later he returned, his hair sticking up haphazardly, his socks mismatched. Kaiba took one look at him and burst out laughing. “What?” he asked, looking down at himself. When he saw his socks, he blushed and took off back upstairs.

“Don’t forget to run a rake through that mop of yours!” Kaiba called after him, snickering when he heard Mokuba give him a well-deserved raspberry.

They spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon at the orphanage. The nuns were overjoyed to see the Kaiba brothers, and the children had been thrilled with the gifts they had received. Kaiba wrote out yet another cheque and handed it to one of the sisters, with the promise of more should it be required.

Around 4:00, the two brothers loaded the gifts that Mokuba had purchased, as well as those that Kaiba had purchased the previous evening, into the trunk and backseat of Kaiba’s Mercedes. He climbed into the driver’s seat while Mokuba slid into the passenger side. Although they drove in silence, Mokuba kept looking up at his older brother with a reverent awe. Kaiba glanced over at the young boy and ruffled his hair. Arriving at Yugi’s, Kaiba parked the car and helped Mokuba carry the load of presents to the door. Jou opened it and said, “Hey, Mokuba! Glad you could make it, squirt!” He caught sight of the brunet and said, “Holy shit! Kaiba? What are you doing here?”

Kaiba smirked and said, “Puppy, don’t you remember? Yugi invited both Mokuba and me to his house tonight.”

Jou was too surprised to reply, but held the door open for the two brothers to enter. After placing their gifts under the tree, they joined the rest of the group in the dining room. Everyone greeted Mokuba, but they were utterly stunned to see Kaiba standing there. Yugi broke the silence first, running over to the brunet and hugging him and telling him how great it was that he’d decided to come. Slowly, everyone else acknowledged his presence, and before long, they were all talking and laughing as one big group.

When they were all completely stuffed from dinner, they retired to the living room to play the trivia game. Kaiba announced that he and Jounouchi would take on the whole lot of them. Jou looked at him in a panic, but Kaiba assured him they would win. The rest of the group giggled, and Anzu told Kaiba that having Jou as a teammate was like being one person short. The brunet grinned and said, “I have complete confidence in my partner.” Jou just sat there and smiled weakly. Three games later, the pair were still undefeated, much to the amazement of the rest of the group.

Afterwards they opened their gifts, and to Kaiba’s surprise he found that several items under the tree for him. The girls ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ over the expensive jewellery Kaiba had selected for them, and even Otogi and Honda had to admit that the leather motorcycle jackets the brunet had given them were pretty cool. Honda shook Kaiba’s hand in thanks and Otogi patted him on the back.

When Jou opened his gift from Kaiba, he quirked an eyebrow at the brunet. “Kaiba, I don’t understand this,” he said as he held up a plane ticket. “Are you having me deported from the country?”

The brunet chuckled softly and said, “Jounouchi, come for a walk with me.”

Honda and Otogi burst out laughing and started making kissy-faces while Ryou, Mokuba and Anzu giggled. “Go get him, Jou!” Yugi called. Jou blushed a deep scarlet and scrambled to his feet, Kaiba in tow. The brunet felt a light flush spreading across his cheeks, but with his back to the group, no one really noticed. They threw on their coats and boots and stepped outside into the crisp night air.

As soon as they had walked about twenty feet down the block, Jou kicked a snow bank and muttered, “Assholes…” under his breath.

Kaiba smirked and asked, “Is it true?”

Jou stared at him in surprise, “What? I…no, I mean…I…” Flustered, he blushed again, and Kaiba moved closer to the blond. Catching the movement out of the corner of his eye, Jou looked up at the brunet and asked, “Why a plane ticket?”

Kaiba smiled softly, “I thought you might enjoy a vacation.”

“Shit. Switzerland? I don’t even know how to ski.”

The brunet raised an eyebrow, “No? There are other things to do there, but if you like, I’ll exchange it.”

“Of all the places in the world, why Switzerland?”

Kaiba grinned and said, “You have to answer my question first. So, is it true?”

Jou blushed even redder and casting his eyes downwards he said after a few moments, “It’s true. If you want to fire me, I’ll understand.”

“Fire you?” he asked incredulously, tilting the blond’s chin up towards him. “Why would I fire my puppy?” he asked softly.

“Your puppy? What?” Jou blinked in confusion.

Kaiba took a deep breath and found himself inexplicably nervous. “Years ago, I had a chance for happiness. I had a friend who was probably much more than a friend. His name was Kin, and he looked almost exactly like you; in fact, you remind me quite a lot of him,” he began. He told Jou about the trip to Switzerland that never was, and explained what had happened to Kin. He explained how he recently realized he harboured feelings for Jou, and his hostility was just a cover for his fear of getting close to another human being. Switzerland, he explained, represented the chance for a future filled with happiness. While he spoke, Jou simply stared at him in amazement, his eyes growing wider by the minute.

Kaiba leaned down and softly ran his finger along Jou’s cheek. “Yesterday, I had an epiphany that would forever change the way I viewed life. And, last night, when I kissed you, I made an early New Year’s resolution – to take the opportunities presented to me and live without regret. I want to be with you…if you’ll have me. I know it’s hard to forget what I’ve done, but in time, I hope you’ll see I’m serious and come to forgive me.”

Jou was at a loss for words. He stared into Kaiba’s cobalt blue eyes, noting the total sincerity and conviction in them, but still he struggled for an answer. “I know it was you,” Jou said finally.

“Pardon?” Kaiba replied.

“Last night, a man delivered an envelope to my sister. I know it was from you.”

The brunet smirked, “How do you figure?”

Jou looked away and said, “The note contained a bank account number. Kaiba, only _your_ bank accounts are grouped as 4 digits, 4 digits, 5 digits, 6 digits; you know, ‘Blue Eyes White Dragon’, and I’ve worked for you long enough that I’d recognize your handwriting anywhere.” He looked back at the brunet and added with a smirk, “Besides, only you would write a corny message that says, ‘ _For your eyes, only _’ and think it was funny.”__

__Kaiba stared at Jou in amazement, then broke into a wide grin. “Clever puppy! Looks like I definitely haven’t been giving you enough credit!” he said, then asked, “Did you tell your sister it was me?”_ _

__Jou shook his head. “It’s not my secret to tell,” he replied. “I just don’t want you to look at us like some kind of charity case and feel you have to get involved. I’m doing ok on my own.”_ _

__Kaiba pulled Jou into his arms and embraced him tightly. “Sometimes, Puppy, we can’t do everything on our own. Trust me on this,” he said softly as he leaned down and kissed Jounouchi tenderly on the lips, his heart soaring as he felt the blond respond to his touch. He pulled away, then smiled as he drew Jou into his arms. They stood there for several moments, Kaiba looking up at the night sky, and he whispered, “Merry Christmas, Jounouchi.”_ _

__Jou snaked his arms around Kaiba’s waist and leaned his head on the brunet’s chest. “And God bless us, every one,” he whispered back._ _


End file.
